Jake & The Giant (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 2)

by E. G. Foley

  “I’ll explain later. Come on, you lot.” He mumbled a hastily made-up excuse to the adults about why they were leaving the table, though none of these seemed the slightest bit interested. They did not know them, after all.

  The four children left the table. Jake hurried the girls and Archie outside. Glancing around, thankfully, he saw no sign of the loon-bat. He gathered them into a corner of the terrace and told them what had happened: that Loki was real, that he’d put Henry and Helena under some sort of spell, and that the twins were now stuck in their animal forms.

  All three stared at him in shock.

  “Well, what do we do?” Dani cried.

  “Do you know where the twins have gone?” Archie prompted.

  “They ran off into the woods,” Jake replied. “At least there they should be safe for now.”

  Archie leaned against the brick wall shaking his head. “Loki’s real? I can’t believe it! What does he want? What is he doing here?”

  Jake lowered his head in thought, recalling Loki’s fascination with the Gatling gun earlier today. “Maybe…” he started, then quit. “Nah, it can’t be.”

  “What?” Dani prompted.

  “Well, you remember what Miss Langesund told us about Loki’s final battle against Odin? The ancient prophecy, remember?”

  “The Battle of Ragnarok,” Dani said. “It’s in my Norway book.”

  “Right. Miss Langesund said Loki wants an army of giants to overthrow the gods. Well, I know it sounds daft, but maybe he’s here to buy some weapons or hire some scientists who can design them.” Jake shrugged, well aware of how farfetched it sounded. “Loki talks in riddles, but he definitely told me starting wars is his hobby. Maybe he’s trying to get his hands on some newfangled kind of gun or cannon that Odin and Thor have never seen.”

  Dani’s eyes widened. “You’re saying Odin and Thor are real, too?”

  “I don’t see why not, if Loki is,” Jake replied.

  “But this is impossible!” she said. “They’re only myths! How can they really exist?”

  “Ghosts and gryphons aren’t supposed to exist, either. Or fairies, for that matter,” Jake said with a pointed look.

  Dani gazed at him, crestfallen, for indeed, she had ridden across the sky with him on his gryphon and had held the fairy Gladwin on the palm of her hand.

  “We’ve got to come up with a plan,” Jake added impatiently.

  “Jake,” Isabelle said in a tentative voice, “didn’t Miss Langesund say that Loki’s great war against Odin was supposed to bring on, um…the end of the world? The Viking version of Armageddon? The apocalypse?”

  They stared at each other in renewed dread, for of course, that was what the lady-archeologist had claimed.

  Archie cleared his throat. “Well, now, logically speaking, if that’s what Loki’s here to do, he wouldn’t have wanted Henry and Helena getting in his way.”

  “Or us,” Jake said grimly, glancing around at the others. “Whatever he’s up to, we need to stop him.”

  “A god?” Archie asked.

  “Hold on. You’re overlooking one very obvious ingredient,” Dani pointed out.

  They all looked at her hopefully.

  “The Viking prophecy says that Loki needs giants to bring on the end of the world! I don’t see any giants around here, do you?”

  As her always-practical, common-sense observation sank in, looks of relief passed over all their faces.

  “That is an excellent point,” Archie agreed with a brief chuckle. “If there were giants around here, I think we would’ve noticed.”

  “They’d be hard to miss,” Isabelle agreed in a cautious murmur.

  “There! You see?” Dani said, pleased with herself. She propped her hands on her waist. “This is just Jake being paranoid, as usual. Well, you’re always waiting for the worst!” she chided. “The end of the world, on our first-ever holiday? Come on.”

  He scowled at her, but Dani wasn’t finished. “Of course, it’s a bit of a shock that Loki’s real, I admit, but then again, nothing in our lives is exactly normal, is it? You with your ghosts and telekinesis. You talking to animals. You with your big brain,” she said to each of them in turn. “Honestly, you lot are lucky to have me ’ere to bring you back down to earth!”

  Jake couldn’t help smiling ruefully at that. He supposed it was true.

  “If we start seeing giants, then we panic,” Dani declared. “Until then, I vote we concentrate on helping the twins.”

  “Makes sense to me,” Jake conceded after a moment with a nod. “After all, just because Loki wants to cause Viking Armageddon, it doesn’t mean he can.”

  “True,” Archie agreed. “And really, if he hasn’t done it yet in all the centuries since Viking times, why should he succeed now?”

  Isabelle let out a sigh of relief. “I say we go back to our rooms in the dormitory and wait for Henry and Helena to come back. Somebody’s got to be there in case they need our help when they return.”

  Jake nodded. “We should try to stay out of Loki’s way, too, in the meanwhile—just to be safe. Why tempt him?”

  They all agreed to this, then started walking back across campus to the dormitory where their party had been assigned four rooms: one for the boys, one for the girls, one for Henry, and one for Helena.

  As they went down the stone steps off the terrace onto the graveled path that led across the wide green lawn, they suddenly saw the figure of a lady approaching.

  In the darkness, they couldn’t tell who it was, so Jake held up his hand, discreetly warning them back. “Remember,” he murmured, “Loki can take any shape, look like anyone…”

  The footsteps in the darkness grew louder, but when the woman passed beneath one of the iron lampposts that lined the walkway ahead, they saw a golden gown and blond hair, and quickly recognized Miss Langesund.

  If it was really she.

  Blimey, thought Jake, maybe the carrot-head was right. Maybe he was a little paranoid.

  With good reason!

  As the alleged Miss Langesund approached, Jake studied her suspiciously, ready to use his telekinesis to defend the others in case it turned out to be Loki in disguise.

  He could really use those Lie Detector Goggles. That would help them see through Loki, no matter his disguise.

  But as Miss Langesund hurried toward them, Jake was quickly convinced it really was the lady-archeologist. There was none of Loki’s mad, wild humor in her eyes, only worry. “Children, are you leaving already? I’m so sorry I missed dinner! Is Henry with you, by chance?” She glanced around for her gentleman friend.

  “Er, no, sorry, Henry’s indisposed at the moment,” Jake said. “He suddenly started feeling—not quite himself.”

  “Oh, no! I’m so sorry to hear that! I hope the salmon wasn’t bad—”

  “No, nothing like that, he’ll be fine,” Jake assured her.

  “Miss Langesund, is something wrong?” Isabelle asked, stepping toward her in concern. “You seem upset.”

  “Bless you, my dear, well—the truth is, I-I honestly don’t know. There may be,” she confessed. “I can’t find my father anywhere!” she burst out, sounding slightly panicked. “I’m really beginning to worry.”

  “How now?” Archie murmured, frowning.

  “I checked his room. He’s not there. I looked in the library, too, but nobody’s seen him. I’m going over to go check the museum next, and I—well, I hate to be a bother, but I was going to see if Henry would go with me. Sometimes Father has trouble with his heart, and if he’s had a medical emergency, I don’t really want to be alone when I find him.”

  “We’ll go with you!” Archie volunteered at once.

  “Oh, it’s all right! I could never impose,” she said. “I’m sure I’m just being a worry-wart. He probably got caught up in his work, that’s all. Besides, you children must be off to bed soon—”

  “We’re not babies!” Dani retorted. “It’s early yet. We’ll go with you.”

  “Quit
e right!” Archie said. Though he was only eleven, he was a true English gentleman down to his fingertips and could never resist the chance to aid a damsel in distress. “Don’t fret, dear lady! We’ll be glad to help you find your father,” the boy genius assured her.

  Chivalrous pipsqueak, thought Jake, slightly annoyed to be taken away from their own worries, which were bad enough.

  Miss Langesund forced a smile, but the fear in her eyes told a different story. “You’re all very kind.”

  “Archie and I will help you look for your father,” Jake quickly intervened. “The girls should probably go back to the rooms in case the twins, um, need any help. Since they’re not feeling well.”

  “Oh, right!” Dani answered, catching on. “They might need us to help take care of them.”

  “Helena’s feeling poorly, too?” Miss Langesund echoed in surprise.

  “You know how it is with twins,” Archie said, thinking fast. “One can’t get sick without the other feeling the same symptoms. It always happens that way with the two of them. But don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll both be fine soon.”

  “Till then, you’ll just have to make do with us,” Jake said with forced cheer, reassuring her with a nod.

  “Very well, then, if you don’t mind coming along. If Father’s had an attack of some sort, I may need one of you to run for a doctor,” she said with a grateful smile.

  But as soon as she turned away, Jake leaned toward Dani. “Stay sharp and get to safety,” he whispered. “I don’t want that loon-bat anywhere near you girls.”

  With a firm nod in answer, Dani took hold of Isabelle’s arm, then the girls headed back toward the dormitory buildings, following the lighted path.

  The boys turned again to Miss Langesund.

  “Shall we?” Archie asked.

  She nodded, then the boys followed her back to the little museum. It dawned on Jake as they went that this was the perfect chance to speak to Ragnor the Punisher again—if his spirit was back, hanging about in the ethers.

  The fierce Viking ghost might be able to tell him more about the trickster god and his devilish ways. Perhaps he’d have a few tips on how to manage Loki.

  Unfortunately, when Miss Langesund unlocked the door, they quickly found that her father was not there.

  Nor was the phantom warlord.

  While Archie checked beneath the boat and up across the catwalk, Jake glanced around the darkened museum with a frown. Blast. It seemed he had done too good a job of convincing Ragnor the Punisher to quit haunting the museum and return to Valhalla.

  Miss Langesund headed for the back door of the little ship museum. “Maybe Father’s outside. Sometimes he likes to step out back for a break and smoke his pipe on the park bench near the edge of the woods.”

  When she opened the door, Archie picked up a lantern and followed her out. Jake drifted out a few steps after them, still warily eyeing the Viking ship over his shoulder. But as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Miss Langesund ahead.

  Holding up the hem of her long dinner gown, she left the trail of stepping stones that led away from the museum toward the woods. “Master Archie, bring the light, would you?” she called.

  “Have you found something?” he asked, hurrying toward her to shine his lantern on the grass.

  Miss Langesund bent down with a stricken look and stared at an object on the ground. “Oh, no…”

  “What is it?” Jake rushed over as she picked it up, in a daze.

  By the light of Archie’s lantern, he saw Miss Langesund’s hand begin shaking as she lifted what she had found up to the light.

  She never did answer his question, nor did she have to.

  The answer was self-evident.

  Jake and Archie exchanged a dark glance.

  “Father’s tobacco pipe,” she forced out. “He always keeps it in his pocket.”

  As they stood there in dread, scanning the black, shadowed woods that loomed just a few yards away, there was no sign of Professor Langesund.

  “Miss Astrid,” Jake said calmly. “You should probably put that down in the same spot where you found it.”

  “Why?” she choked out.

  “It’s evidence,” he answered in a grim tone, and Archie steadied her as she let out a shocked sob. “We need to call the police.”

  PART II

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Misunderstood

  Bow tie, crazy hair, spectacles: check, check, check. The three geniuses Snorri had caught so far fit all the crow’s specifications.

  The first was a mathematician who had been playing his violin between equations, as if the music helped him jar his ideas loose. Snorri had heard the haunting tune and had been drawn to it, tiptoeing up to the edge of the woods.

  Seeing a man sitting alone who fit the right description, he had snatched him from right off the park bench by the fjord where he had been relaxing.

  The second dupe had been just as easy prey. Lost in their thoughts, these geniuses weren’t very good at sensing danger, Snorri thought with a scoff. He had found the second one studying plants in the forest.

  The rumpled fellow had seemed particularly interested in the little black dots that grew on the underside of fern leaves. He had been so absorbed in his work that Snorri, as large as he was, had crept up on him completely unnoticed.

  The third had been a bit more of a challenge. He had stepped out behind a small wooden building on the edge of the campus to take a few puffs on his tobacco pipe.

  Snorri had smelled the piquant smoke wafting through the woods and followed his nose toward it; in moments, he had peered out of the leafy shadows at the smoking professor, whose back was turned.

  The stalking giant had noted all the details. Neat beard, tweed vest, shirtsleeves rolled up.

  No bowtie, but his spectacles and the ink-stains on his fingers gave him away. He was some sort of scientist all right, and after Snorri grabbed him, he soon learned that the third professor was a digger of old, dead bones.

  What mad ideas these humans took into their heads! Even the dullest-witted giant knew it was terrible bad luck to go digging up dead men’s graves.

  Well, the bad luck that the grave-digging scientist must’ve long had coming caught up with him in the form of Snorri. He had grabbed Professor Langesund just as the absent-minded archeology professor remembered that he was missing the Welcome Dinner.

  Professor Langesund barely knew what hit him as Snorri snatched him off his feet, covered his mouth to shut him up, and dashed back into the woods again, carrying his prize under his arm.

  Snorri had run all the way back to his mountaintop cave, where he had tossed Professor Langesund into another cage made of branches tied together with vines. He had strung the cage up high over the cavern floor so his captives couldn’t escape.

  Since then, well, Snorri was not sure what he had expected from these fellows. They didn’t have scientists back in Giant Land, but from his dealings with them so far, he was rather glad of that.

  Geniuses, Snorri had decided, could be nasty little creatures. Honestly, they were beyond rude! Not even Gorm, with all his boasting and his insults, had ever referred to Snorri as an “it,” for example.

  He clenched his jaw as he heard them talking and kept his back turned to them, sitting before his campfire and doing his best to ignore them. They hadn’t stopped discussing him since he’d put them in their cages.

  “Splendid mutant! Magnificent specimen!”

  “Incredible! It must be over twenty feet tall! How is this possible?”

  “I don’t know, Albert. It’s obviously a hominid of some kind, but at this point, impossible to say. We’ll need years to study this creature before we’ll understand it properly. By Jove, this is going to rewrite everything we know of evolution!”

  “If we could show this creature to the world, we’ll be more famous than Mr. Darwin!”

  “Yes, but how do we get it back to the university? The beast is dangerous!”

  Snorri was very
close to losing his otherwise nonexistent temper.

  “Have you tried communicating with it, Gunther? Does it speak?”

  “I’ve heard some grunting sounds that seem to have some meaning, but it’s hard to be sure if it understands. It barely responds.”

  “Yes, well, its language is no doubt primitive.”

  “But look, it’s mastered the use of fire! It wears clothes and it even has a few rudimentary tools.”

  “You think it has a name?”

  Snorri rolled his eyes.

  These geniuses were so daft and so consumed with the hope of studying him that they barely spared a thought for the danger they were in.

  Not that Snorri cared.

  Such rude boors deserved to have their brains turned into powder and made into a potion for someone more deserving.

  Thank goodness, the crow showed up at last, a flap of motion silhouetted before the moon. Finally, someone with common sense!

  “Well!” his glossy, black-feathered friend greeted him, fluttering down onto the log across from the fire. “I see you’re making excellent progress, Snorri! Or should I say King Snorri? You’d better get used to hearing it. Soon!” the bird promised.

  The reminder of their bargain cheered Snorri up considerably after his captives’ abuse. In truth, though he was too shy to say so, it was not the crown itself he cared about, but winning Princess Kaia. Whoever married her would be the next king, and oh, how he loved her! Always had. A hopeless case.

  Hopeless—until now.

  The fire popped and the bird bobbed its head to escape a small shower of tiny sparks that arced up from the flames. “So, how many brains have you collected, my friend?”

  Snorri nodded over his shoulder with a brusque grunt.

  “Three! Very good.”

  “Nasty little vermin,” Snorri grumbled. “How many more will you need to make the smart potion for me?”

  The bird considered for a moment. “Five more should do quite nicely.”

  “Five…?” Snorri echoed uncertainly.

  “Your whole hand.” The bird pointed with his wing.

  “Oh! Five. Right. I knew that,” Snorri muttered. “In that case, I should only need another day or so to catch the rest.”